Holiday Merchandise Line from The Onion Shows Why the Right Partner is Important
For those that need a little extra sass in their holiday clothing this year, The Onion partnered with RAYGUN for a limited holiday merchandise release.
This marks the first-ever foray into brick-and-mortar retail for The Onion, a newspaper famous for its parody headlines and satirical commentary. Fans can find the products online and in the eight Midwestern RAYGUN retail locations. It is, however, only available for a limited time during the holiday season.
RAYGUN, a screen-printing, clothing, and design store that specializes in sassy apparel slogans, is an ideal partner according to The Onion. The company has several locations across the Midwest and is as quippy as the parody publication.
According to the Des Moines Register, the collection features more than three dozen items that include everything from holiday tree ornaments and T-shirts to baby bibs and cork beverage coasters. But the best part is the one-liners and headlines featured on the items pulled directly from The Onion itself. Shoppers can find products printed with headlines such as “Study: Average Man Thinks of Santa Every 7 Seconds,” and, “True Courage is Knowing You’re Wrong but Refusing to Admit It.”
“The character of The Onion is global, but we — the people who produce it — are very much here in Chicago,” said Jordan LaFlure, managing editor, in a statement. “So, we’re familiar with RAYGUN and already wear their merchandise. They’re very good at what they do, and it just seemed like a very natural pairing that was frankly overdue.”
Building an Apparel Decorating Partnership
The two brands are hopeful to release more collaborations in the future, capitalizing on the growing trend of big brands collaborating for merch collections. But you don’t have to be a big brand to see how collaborations and partnerships can boost your apparel decorating business. Depending on how you structure your partnerships, there are huge benefits.
In the video series Good Company with John Morris, the concept of convergence between apparel decorators and promotional products distributors is discussed at great length. There are several episodes in which Morris outlined why these two segments are a natural fit with each other, as well as how to build the best partnerships.
Even wholesale brands like Hanes are constantly working on partnerships. This has seen particular growth within the NIL (name, image, likeness) world, and is a viable business avenue worth exploring.